Veera Simha Reddy actor Duniya Vijay: 'If I play a villain in a Kannada film, it'd only be with...'

Duniya Vijay's latest endeavour seems to be paying encouraging dividends. His debut outing, wherein he played the chief antagonist in the Nandamuri Balakrishna starrer Veera Simha Reddy, has been garnering positive reception from all the fans with many hailing his performance as one of the highlights of the experience. Buoyed by this response and the consistent encouragement he has received from the other side of the border, Vijay now looks keen on exploring newer opportunities.

But would he seek out more villain roles now that his maiden gig as Musali Madugu Pratap Reddy has become a hit? Turns out, he would and in fact, he seems to have a specific hero in mind for his antagonism.

"If I were to act as the villain in any Kannada film, I would want to work with Shivanna (Shiva Rajkumar). I am super kicked about that prospect, in fact. Our dynamics will be similar to those in a tug of war and that's because he is just like Balayya and I have said this already. Shivanna has the heart to let go of all the trappings and be completely invested in an on-screen battle and I am only interested in playing a negative role if he is on the other hand. I will do it only with him and actually, both of us eagerly waiting for that opportunity but we haven't found the right story yet. And I don't want to do it just for the sake of it."

"Not many people know that I was meant to do a villain role in Appu (Puneeth Rajkumar) sir's film. There was a script developed and I was very much willing to play the baddie - Appu sir was actually a little unsure whether I would be okay or not but I said yes right away. Performing alongside these superstars is a blessing," said Duniya Vijay in a recent interaction with a media outlet.

Many would fondly recall that Duniya Vijay played a bit role in the 2006 cult film Jogi, starring Shiva Rajkumar in the lead. Although Vijay wasn't a recognised star at the time, his career would soon take off with Suri's Duniya, another cult classic that has remained associated with the actor's image to date.